Iran denounces Britain's proposed prohibition on backing the Islamic Republic's elite military force

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Iran’s Revolutionary Guards

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Iran slammed on Tuesday a British plan to ban support for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, alongside an Iran-linked group accused of a series of attacks against the Jewish community.

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The foreign ministry “condemns the hostile act of the British government… as unjustified, irresponsible and contrary to the fundamental principles and rules of international law”, it said in a statement.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had said on Monday that “anyone found supporting or assisting these groups will now face up to 14 years in prison”.

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The proposed law is to be presented to parliament this week.

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The banned groups would also include proxies and volunteers of Russia’s GRU military intelligence agency, and the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right, an Iran-linked group which has claimed attacks on Jewish properties in London.

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The new legislation gives the British government “proscription-like” powers to designate foreign state proxies deemed a threat to Britain’s national security.

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“The move will step up the government’s ability to counter state threats linked to foreign powers including espionage, foreign interference in our democracy, sabotage and physical attacks,” the Home Office said in a statement.

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The announcement comes after several antisemitic attacks struck the British capital earlier this year, including a spate of arson attacks on synagogues, community ambulances and other Jewish sites.

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The proposed law also follows a case earlier this month in which a London court jailed two people for a knife attack it said was carried out at Iran’s behest.

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The two Romanian nationals were convicted of the 2024 stabbing of Pouria Zeraati, a news presenter for Persian-language outlet Iran International.

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Iran summoned the British ambassador to Tehran to protest what it called the “baseless accusations”.

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AFP

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